The Five Scarves - Dragonkin Ascension Part 2
by RaceProUK
Summary: (Book 2 of 3, Part 2 of 5) Hanna's kidnapper has been determined: Captain Aquila Kawaguchi! Rob, Maria, Danny, and Xander prepare for a rescue mission; however, Aquila is making moves of his own…
1. Chapter 1

Five days since Serpentine's arrest, and two days since the kidnap of Hanna Skarlett; Captain Aquila Kawaguchi's master plan is proceeding as intended. Yet he cannot relax; despite setting Serpentine up as the fall guy and compromising the Five Scarves, a direct assault on Shang Tu is still a very risky venture. The intelligence gathered by the Jade Alliance, though patchy, is accurate; the Magister is not well-versed in military strategy, and while there is unity between the three Origin Kingdoms, it is an uneasy alliance, stymied by politicking and bureaucracy.

What worries Aquila most though are Team Lilac and the Red Scarves; these two wildcards could bring the whole scheme crashing down around him. Despite their best efforts, no Jade successfully penetrated the ranks of the Scarves, and every attempt to sneak into their headquarters met with failure. However, there was at least one shred of comfort for the captain; the Red Scarves are just a criminal organisation, and based on the intelligence gathered, the Origin Kingdoms are guaranteed to refuse to work with them.

Team Lilac is another matter entirely however. Serpentine had briefed Aquila on their capabilities; at first, Aquila had dismissed the idea of a water dragon of fifteen leading a wildcat of twelve and a hound of ten to victory over the formidable Lord Brevon and his robot army. But when every piece of intelligence that rolled in corroborated Serpentine's information, Aquila reassessed the threat; he is forced to admit the combination of thief-turned-warrior Sash Lilac, ninja biker Carol Tea, and the psychoergokinetic Milla Basset could be the greatest threat to Aquila's mission to obtain the Elemental Crystals from their Shang Tu stronghold.

And then there's the threat from within; Aquila knows he has fragile control of the Grand Masters. While Hideyoshi Takenaka is proving a highly capable second-in-command and Chika Ueno is a worthy number three, the same cannot be said of the others. Ryoichi Nakano is recalcitrant, Tsubaki Moto is impudent, and Kaede Himura is almost uncontrollable; keeping her out of the dungeon and away from Hanna Skarlett had proven far more difficult than imagined, especially as Aquila had already allowed Kaede her revenge for the cracked rib.

As the sun rises, Aquila paces the throne room of the Kakusareta Kyuden, contemplating all the risks and pitfalls of his plan; suddenly, there's a knock at the door. "Enter!" he barks, frustrated at his concentration being broken.

Slowly, the door opens; a middle-aged macaque peers round the edge. "The collars, sir."

"Excellent!" Aquila purrs darkly; his malevolent grin is concealed by the hood of his cloak. "I trust there are five?"

"All made to your exact specifications, sir," the macaque confirms.

"You have done well," Aquila compliments. "Please place them on my desk," he commands, stepping to one side.

The macaque nods an acknowledgement. With care, he enters the room and approaches the desk; once there, he places the crate on the cleared space, then turns to Aquila. "I have held up my end of the deal; it's your turn to hold up yours," he states.

"I think not," Aquila replies. With one swift movement, he unholsters his pistol and shoots the macaque through the forehead, just off-centre; the macaque collapses, dead before he hits the floor. "Especially as you're now staining my nice clean floor," the dragon adds. "Do you know how hard bloodstains are to remove? Still, at least your work will allow me to tip the odds further in my favour…"


	2. Chapter 2

Meanwhile, in Jade Creek, Rob, Maria, Danny, and Xander begin their day. Over breakfast, Danny brings the others up to speed on the results of his research in the Shang Tu Royal Library; he finishes his update by revealing the mastermind behind the kidnapping is Captain Aquila Kawaguchi.

"I don't believe you," Rob states defiantly, his breakfast forgotten.

"There's no other explanation," Danny insists. "It all fits. I would have told you last night, but by the time I got home, everyone had turned in."

"Prove it then," Rob challenges.

"The haiku contained three clues," Danny explains. "The first: _Defenders will fall_. We boasted to the Grand Masters that we would defend the Crystals; it stands to reason the line does in fact refer to us."

"Not good enough," Rob spits.

"The second: _Union of elements_ ," Danny continues, unperturbed. "The five dojos of the Jade Alliance are named for the five elements. _Kasai_ is fire, _kinzoku_ metal, _mokuzai_ wood, _tsuchi_ earth, and _mizu_ water."

"Serpentine is rotting in the Shang Tu Royal Dungeon."

"It's clear now he was set up to be the fall guy. Now, the third clue: _Ryu ascending_. _Ryu_ means _dragon_. And I'm pretty sure it isn't talking about Lilac."

"Maybe she flipped or something; couldn't handle the pressure of fame."

"One of the saviours of Avalice?" Danny challenges. "She left the Scarves because she disagreed with our methods! Why would she-"

"You feel guilty about convincing Hanna that Captain Icky wasn't a threat, and are therefore desperately looking for an excuse that doesn't make you look like a moron," Maria interjects suddenly.

Rob stares in surprise at Maria. "Don't even go there."

"Too late," Maria spits back. "Stole the tiara and everything."

"The markings on the dart match the type of markings Sally Flynn saw when she was a captive of the Jade Alliance. So tell Maria she's wrong," Danny challenges Rob. "I dare you."

Rob makes to speak; he pauses when he realises that Maria is absolutely right. With a violent and frustrated curse, Rob relents; when he speaks again, his voice is fragile. "I don't want to admit I failed her again… but I did."

"We all did," Danny comforts. "None of us thought that he'd be back so soon, let alone have an army at his command."

"Hanna suspected," Rob counters.

"She was being paranoid," Xander blurts; Rob stares at him in surprise. "OK, it turns out it was justified, but that doesn't change the fact she was."

"Xander, in the name of the Ancients…" Danny sighs in exasperation.

"Xander's right," Maria asserts. "Even if he is being a big dumbo about it."

"You're not helping!" Danny buries his head in his hands.

"Actually, they are," Rob admits. "At the time, I dismissed Hanna's concerns as paranoia; I can't be angry at Xander for thinking the same."

"…fine, whatever; so long as you're not going to gut one of your friends, I guess it's OK," Danny sighs.

"For a rather loose definition of 'OK'," Rob replies. "Now, how are we going to save my girlfriend?"


	3. Chapter 3

Mid-morning, and Aquila has finished making the final adjustments to the collars. After a quick systems check, he is satisfied all is well; he summons the five Grand Masters. A few minutes later, Hideyoshi is the first to arrive in the throne room, followed closely by Chika; after exchanging formal greetings, they await the arrival of the others.

Tsubaki is the next to arrive; she strides into the throne room in a manner that states that she has better things to do than attend a meeting. "This better be good," she spits.

"I promised you the secret to unlocking your elemental affinities," Aquila growls. "And I fully intend to fulfil that promise. However, to do so, I need your co-operation. If you're not willing, I can always find another; I'm sure the other Grand Masters would agree to dealing with someone more… amenable."

Tsubaki makes to reply, then thinks better of it.

"Good girl," Aquila mocks. "And I see Ryoichi has just arrived," he comments as he notices the Mokuzai leader has entered the room and is slouching on a pillar. "That leaves only Kaede; I do hope she's not trying to sneak into the dungeon again…"

"Oh ye of little faith," Kaede states defiantly as she enters. Her left upper arm is heavily bandaged; the small darker patch reveals that the wound it dresses is fresh.

"It looks like I was right to place some extra guards down there," Aquila sighs; Kaede looks away, knowing her bluff hasn't worked. "I did tell you to leave the prisoner alone, did I not?"

"Can we just get on with it?" Tsubaki interrupts.

"Of course," Aquila agrees. "Far be it for me to waste your time briefing you on equipment that will help keep you alive and make it easier to complete our mission." Aquila hands out the collars, one to each of the Grand Masters. "These collars represent the latest advancements in technology I've been developing for many years now. They all include multi-way radios to help communication between each other and myself; additionally, they'll act as proximity sensors for each other, and for potential threats. And in the case of an emergency, they can generate a temporary shield; be warned though, the shield can only be used three times, and it only lasts a few seconds each time."

As the Grand Masters receive their collars, they all put them on immediately, so they get accustomed to the weight. All except for Tsubaki; "Shields are for the weak," she spits derisively.

"Then don't use them," Aquila snaps back. "Just put it on already."

"Fine," Tsubaki spits, putting the collar on. "This better not be a trick; if it is, your head is mine."

"I can assure you my head will remain on my shoulders," Aquila replies. _Because if you try anything, the collar will stop you._ "Now you have your collars, I recommend you train for a couple of hours to get used to them; they're very light and shouldn't restrict head movement, but without knowing your skills and abilities in detail, I cannot guarantee they won't interfere."

The Grand Masters nod, salute, and mutter their agreement before leaving the throne room. Once they have all left, Aquila returns to his desk and checks the status of the collars; all are fully functional and tracking cleanly. _That's the problem of mutiny solved at least…_


	4. Chapter 4

Meanwhile, in Jade Creek, outside the lakeside home of Maria, Danny, and Xander; Rob and Danny are arguing once more, this time about Maria using Hanna's ATV instead of her own trike.

"We need the towing ability of both ATVs!" Danny states.

"No-one is using Hanna's ATV without her permission!" Rob declares.

"Well, she's not exactly in a position to give it, is she?" Danny retorts.

"I will not betray her trust!" Rob insists; his tone implies he will not budge on the matter.

"Then you compromise the mission to save her!" Danny argues.

"I am compromising _nothing!_ " Rob bellows.

"If you'd just stop for five seconds and _think_ for a change, then you'd see I'm _right!_ " Danny yells back.

" _Stop fighting!_ " Maria screams, almost in tears at the sight of two of her friends bickering like children. "How are we going to rescue Hanna if we can't even get on with each other?"

"Absolutely; I am putting a stop to this, once and for all!" Xander declares; shoving Danny to one side, Xander grabs Rob around the neck with his right hand, and lifts him fully two feet off the ground. "Now listen!" he growls as Rob struggles to breathe. "We are planning a mission to rescue your girlfriend. We need equipment and supplies for four days minimum. And we need vehicles that can tow trailers. Our trikes can't do that, only your ATVs can. So you will let Maria use Hanna's ATV."

"But-" Rob croaks, trying futilely to loosen Xander's iron grip.

"You. Will. Let. Maria. Use. Hanna's. A. T. V."

Rob capitulates, nodding weakly in agreement.

"Good. And you will stop fighting us."

Rob nods again.

Xander drops Rob roughly on the ground; what little air is left in Rob's lungs is knocked out by the landing. "When you are able, you will go back into the house and stay there. And when we return from Shang Mu, you will apologise to Danny for challenging his leadership, to Maria for upsetting her, and to me, for forcing me to treat you so violently," Xander demands.

Rob doesn't respond; gasping for air, he stiffly crawls back to the house. Shaking, he stands, opens the door, and enters, closing the door softly behind him.

Xander turns to Danny, who simply stares at him in disbelief; Maria peeks out from behind Danny, her eyes wide with fear. "I'm sorry, but I felt that was necessary," Xander explains, sitting down. "I don't like to hurt my friends, but now he knows he can't get away with arguing anymore. And I think we can agree, that will make our mission go a lot smoother."

"I… erm… wow," Danny gasps, stunned by Xander's actions. "Remind me never to piss you off. And thank you."

"Please, don't thank me," Xander replies. "I don't want to feel that that was the right thing to do. And Maria, please don't be frightened."

Maria gingerly creeps out from behind Danny, tears in her eyes. "But you were so scary…" she breathes.

"I know, and I apologise," Xander replies, his voice as soft as he can make it.

Danny clears his throat. "Well, I think we shouldn't waste any more time- darn it! We don't have Rob's keys!"

"Yes we do." Xander reveals the keys in his left hand. He reaches out to hand them to Maria; she gingerly reaches out for the keys, snatching them before backing away from Xander again.

"Now _that_ I will thank you for," Danny sighs in relief. "OK, let's go; Maria, you can ride pillion with me. And as Rob's staying here, we'll be using his ATV."

* * *

Late evening, and Maria, Danny and Xander return home, having collected Hanna's ATV and stocked up at Shang Mu; they enter the den to find the entire house has been thoroughly cleaned, floor to ceiling, their weapons have been cleaned and polished and arranged on the coffee table, and there is the smell of Pad Thai coming from the kitchen.

"Welcome home," Rob greets timidly, emerging from the kitchen; he stops short, unwilling to approach Xander.

"You kept yourself busy then," Danny observes.

"I wanted to make up for earlier," Rob explains nervously.

"Come here," Xander requests softly. Rob reluctantly approaches the wolf; when close enough, Xander grabs the hare in a warm embrace. "As far as I'm concerned, you have more than made up for earlier," he assures as the hug breaks. "And I'm sorry I treated you so-"

"I deserved it," Rob interrupts. "I was an idiot, and I have no excuse."

"I think we can all agree it is water under the bridge now," Danny assures; Maria and Xander add their agreements. "Now, let's work out how to save Hanna."

"Together," Rob agrees, recovering his normal composure. "United."


	5. Chapter 5

Pre-dawn the following day; Aquila, taking advantage of his cybernetic enhancements, has been up all night, personally inspecting every single vehicle in the battle force. As the sun rises, Aquila finishes his inspection; while he would normally want some heavy weaponry as support, this assault must be lightning fast. And that means lightly-armoured transports to get the infantry, in this case the warriors of the Jade Alliance, into the heart of Shang Tu before the city's defences can muster and fight back.

The entire transport fleets of all five dojos had been gathered over the past six days; with the journey from the Gotoshi to the Origin Kingdoms involving a lengthy sea crossing, every transport had been retrofitted to make it amphibious. It was a crude job, but serviceable; the first vehicle to be converted had proven watertight enough to remain afloat for three days with no significant leaks. Still, Aquila had decided to leak‑check every vehicle personally as part of his inspection; normally he'd assign a lackey to the task, but this was too important a mission to trust something so vital to one of the Jades.

The inspection complete, Aquila retires to the throne room of the Kakusareta Kyuden; after checking the five collars are still fully functional, he reviews the battle plan one last time. Getting the layout of the city of Shang Tu had proven trivial; numerous vendors sell map books that cover the whole city. And while they lacked the location of military outposts, it had only taken a half-dozen Jades two days to find every outpost.

Satisfied the plan of attack could be no better, Aquila settles back in his chair and slips himself into a shallow trance; it will be the last opportunity for some time, and he intends to make the most of it. During his shallow sleep, he thinks of his father, of Brevon's assault, and of his miraculous survival.

 _In two days' time, the Elemental Crystals will be mine. And then, Lord Arktivus Brevon, I come for you._

* * *

Mid-morning, and Aquila stands at the head of the battlefleet; the five collar-clad Grand Masters stand at the heads of their divisions.

"In the heart of the Shang Tu Royal Palace, there are five gemstones known as the 'Elemental Crystals'; they are our ultimate objective," Aquila instructs via a megaphone. "When you find them, bring them to me. Do not try to claim them as your own; if you do, I will find you, and I will make you regret crossing me. Aside from that, everything is fair game; so long as the Crystals come to me, what you bring back is your own business. Understood?"

A chorus of voices chant an affirmative.

"Good," Aquila grins. "Now, load up and roll out!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in a damp and drizzly Jade Creek, Rob makes the final adjustments to make it easier for the shorter Maria to ride Hanna's ATV.

"That should be a lot more comfortable for you," Rob comments, finishing the last adjustment.

Maria jumps on the ATV and settles into position. "A lot better!" she chirps. "I can reach everything properly now!"

"These adjustments should have been made before you rode this to Shang Mu and back," Rob sighs. "Thankfully you had the transmission in 'automatic'. Are you OK with the gearshift?"

"Easy peasy!" Maria boasts. "Works exactly like my trike!"

"As it should; they're from the same manufacturer," Danny explains.

"Maria, promise me you'll take care of it," Rob requests. "I've seen the stunts you pull with your trike; if you try those with-"

"I'll take care of it, don't you worry!" Maria assures. "I may be a silly kitty, but I'm not stupid!" she adds with a cheeky smile.

"And remember you're towing half our supplies," Danny reminds. "Are we all set?"

Rob and Xander mount their vehicles and give an affirmative.

"Let's go save the big meanie!" Maria rallies.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, mid-morning; Rob and Maria lead Danny and Xander on the second day of their journey to the Gotoshi. They're a little behind schedule; the previous day, Maria had got Hanna's ATV stuck a few times, and it had taken a surprising amount of time to get it unstuck. The second day's travel would go much smoother though; the rain from the day before had passed overnight, and the new day brings with it intense sunshine that's baking the topsoil hard and dry.

After two hours riding, the four friends elect to stop for a short break; parking in the shade of a grassy knoll, they take the opportunity to stretch their aching limbs.

"I don't know how you two can ride those things," Maria mutters, laying on her front, stretching out on the grass. "They're too stiffly sprung, and the steering's too heavy," she adds a moment later, idly playing with the daisies that dot the knoll.

"It's because you're lighter," Rob explains, reclining on his back a few feet away. "And having two wheels at the front instead of one means you need a heavier steering mechanism. Not to mention the added resistance of two tyres compared to one."

"Can't you make the steer-" Maria begins; she pauses when she hears a distant rumble. "Oh great, a thunderstorm's approaching; kitty don't want to get wet."

"Leaving aside how much you like to swim," Danny teases, "there's no thunderstorm; the sky is clear blue all round."

"I can hear _something_ approaching," Maria insists, crawling up to the peak of the knoll. "Huh, that's weird."

"What is?" Rob asks.

"There's a big dust cloud heading this way," Maria explains, peering through her binoculars. "It seems to be chasing some vehicles."

Danny joins Maria at the peak of the knoll; he looks through his own binoculars. "The vehicles are the ones creating the dust cloud," he informs. "Can't quite make out what sort they are though; Rob?"

Rob fetches his more powerful sniper scope, then joins Maria and Danny; he looks through the scope. "Light armoured troop transports," he reports. "There's a row of five at the front that are a little more ornately detailed, though the one in front of them is clearly the command vehicle; wait, who's that…" Rob pauses to focus on adjusting his scope to get the clearest picture at maximum zoom; when he sees who's in the command cupola, he utters a phenomenal string of foul language.

"Who can you see?" Maria asks nervously.

"Aquila," Rob growls malevolently.

"We have to turn back," Danny declares.

"And abandon Hanna?" Rob snaps, lowering his scope. "No way."

"That fleet is heading straight for Shang Tu," Danny explains, lowering his binoculars.

"I am not turning back," Rob insists.

"Hanna's kidnapping was a diversion, and we fell for it," Danny reveals. "He must have expected us work out the clues quicker though; if we had, we'd be in the Gotoshi right now, and we wouldn't have seen his fleet."

"That's quite the conclusion you're leaping to there," Rob challenges.

"On the contrary, it's perfectly logical," Danny explains. "Capturing all five of us is a lot of effort; it's easier to capture one, knowing the other four will want to rescue them. It's actually a rather brilliant move."

"I swear, if you compliment that swine again, I will-" Rob begins; he pauses when he feels Xander's firm hand on his shoulder. "I mean, yes, it _is_ a brilliant move," he growls.

"A battle fleet that size," Maria breathes. "Shang Tu won't stand a chance."

"We have to warn them," Danny decides. "Give them as much chance as possible to repel the Jades."

Moments later, Rob, Maria, Danny, and Xander begin their journey back to Shang Tu at maximum speed.


	7. Chapter 7

"Sir, Mokuzai-Roku is reporting difficulties," Ryoichi reports over the radio.

"What difficulties?" Aquila sighs. _Though at least I can take some solace in the fact his collar is making him more subservient already._

"Driveshaft failure," Ryoichi explains. "They've been forced to stop for repairs."

"Then leave them behind," Aquila commands. "We cannot afford to delay ourselves."

"As you wish sir."

"Any other issues I need to know about?" Aquila asks Ryoichi and the other Grand Masters; he receives a series of reassuring negatives. _One vehicle down. It shouldn't make much difference; I just need to slightly tweak Mokuzai's initial deployment… actually, Ryoichi's smart enough to sort that out himself._ "OK. Ryoichi, your forces will need to deploy differently to compensate; I trust you are capable of handling that yourself?"

"Aye-aye, sir," Ryoichi confirms.

"Good." Aquila shuts the radio off and turns his attention to the surroundings the Jade convoy is thundering through; in the far distance, sees a brief flash of light from the top of a grassy knoll. _Odd, I didn't send any recon units forward…_ Aquila turns to the peregrine stood next to him. "Agent Hayabusa, I need you to fly ahead and check for any lookouts; if you see anything, report back to me immediately."

Hayabusa salutes, then takes off and flies ahead of the convoy; as he nears the grassy knoll the flash came from, he spots four figures riding away. "Hayabusa to Ryu," he radios back to Aquila. "I see four vehicles: two motortrikes and two ATVs; they're riding on ahead, faster than our convoy can manage."

"Who's riding them?" Aquila demands.

Hayabusa accelerates; a moment later, he's almost directly overhead the four vehicles. "A silver hare, an olive lynx, an ochre badger, and a steel blue wolf."

Aquila curses violently under his breath. " _Do not let them out of your sight! I want to know where they're going!_ "

* * *

Even though Rob, Maria, Danny, and Xander are pushing their vehicles to maximum speed, Maria cannot resist looking behind them; spotting something in her peripheral vision, she looks up. "We're being followed!" she yells over the roar of the engines.

Rob risks a look over his shoulder. "There's no-one behind us!" he yells back.

"Not behind, above!"

Rob looks behind again, but this time he looks up too. "A peregrine!" he yells. "Scatter!"

* * *

As the Scarves scatter and head into the trees, Hayabusa increases altitude to try and track all four of them. "Hayabusa to Ryu," he radios to Aquila. "They spotted me and have scattered; I'm trying to keep track of all four of them, but it's not easy."

" _You let them spot you?_ " Aquila bellows in reply.

"The sky doesn't offer many hiding places," Hayabusa explains.

It takes a few moments for Aquila to respond. "I shall ignore your insolence, _this_ time," he hisses. "On one condition: you tell me where they're heading."

"I cannot say for sure, but if they continue on their current heading, they will reach Shang Tu before we do."

 _This could be a problem. I really expected them to work out the clues quicker, then they would have been in the Gotoshi, and we'd hit Shang Tu unopposed._ Aquila ponders his options for a few moments. "How fast are they going?"

"They're capable of twice our speed, sir."

 _They may be faster, but they can't ride all through the night…_ "Fall back," Aquila commands Hayabusa; he then opens a radio channel to the Grand Masters. "We have a slight complication; it appears the clues we left for that infernal vixen's friends were a little _too_ cryptic. As a result, they have spotted us, and will beat us to Shang Tu. Therefore, to minimise the amount of time Shang Tu has to prepare, we must drive through the night. Do not let me down."

Aquila shuts off the radio without waiting for affirmative replies. _Run while you still can; those Crystals are mine, and there's_ nothing _you can do to stop me._


	8. Chapter 8

Shortly after Hayabusa had retreated, Rob, Maria, Danny, and Xander had reunited and resumed their journey; as night descended, they were faced with a tough decision. Rob and Danny had wanted to ride through the night, but the hard riding had begun to take its toll on the ATVs and trikes; electrical gremlins had infested the lights, meaning it wasn't safe to continue. At first light, the group set off once more; after riding non-stop, by late morning, they had arrived at Shang Tu.

With no time to waste, the four friends head straight for the Royal Palace. Abandoning their vehicles at the entrance, they storm into the palace itself; thankfully, the crowds are thin and easy to navigate. What does stall them however is the palace guards stationed at the bottom of the stairway to the throne room.

"The throne room is off-limits to the public!" one of the guards informs sternly.

"And that goes double for the Red Scarves!" the second guard adds.

"But we're the Scarves the Magister hired for a mission three weeks ago!" Danny protests.

"Pull the other one, it's got bells on!" the first guard mocks.

"We don't have time for this! The city is in danger!" Danny continues.

"Enough of this trickery," the second guard growls, lowering his crystal-tipped staff, pointing it at Danny. "You have two choices: clear off, or be arrested. Which is it to be?"

"Door number three," Xander replies; drawing his tonfa, he swiftly dispatches the two guards.

"Quick! Up the stairs!" Danny cries as he sees other guards hastily descending on their position; the others don't need telling twice. At the top of the stairs, Xander doesn't slow down; he slams his entire body weight into the throne room door, slamming it open, much to the surprise and shock of the Magister, General Gong, and Sally Flynn; his friends follow right behind.

" _What is the meaning of this?_ " the Magister demands.

"Shang Tu is going to be invaded by the Jade Alliance!" Danny reports breathlessly; Sally's eyes widen in fear. "They're gonna storm the palace and steal the Crystals!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" General Gong dismisses. "No-one can break into the Palace vaults!"

"Just like no-one can steal the Kingdom Stone?" Rob counters.

"We have learnt our lessons from that particular heist," the Magister assures. "The Crystals are safe."

"Besides, a bunch of thieves aren't going to get one over on me again!" Gong boasts. "Guards! Take them away!"

"You're making a big mistake!" Maria cries. "They're not just thieves! They're a whole _army!_ "

"Please, Your Excellency, let them speak!" Sally pleads. "Why would they turn away from rescuing their kidnapped friend if it wasn't important?"

"If you insist," the Magister sighs. "General, call off the guards."

General Gong signals the advancing guards to stand down yet remain vigilant.

"Now explain how you managed to fail the mission I assigned you," the Magister demands of the Scarves. "And remember that the proof of your success is currently secured in the dungeon."

"Serpentine's not the ringleader," Danny explains, relieved they will at least be heard out. "He was just set up as the fall-"

" _Incoming!_ " Maria screams.

Everyone dives for cover as the rocket strikes the throne room.


End file.
